‘A Kenyan Senator Woke Me Up’: Museveni on Why Uganda Changed Oil Deal

NAIROBI, Kenya Sep 18 – Uganda was purchasing petroleum products through middlemen in Kenya before President Yoweri Museveni decided to end the arrangement, he has said.

Museveni attributed the decision to concerns over the cost and structure of Uganda’s fuel imports, saying a Kenyan senator was among the first people to draw his attention to the arrangement.

“Uganda was buying petroleum products through middlemen in Kenya. The person who woke me up first was a senator from Kenya,” Museveni said.

The Ugandan President was explaining the circumstances that led his administration to reconsider the country’s dependence on Kenya as a supply route for petroleum products.

Uganda subsequently pursued alternative arrangements aimed at securing direct access to petroleum supplies and reducing the role of intermediaries in the importation process.

The issue has been part of wider discussions over petroleum supply arrangements between Kenya and Uganda, with the two East African neighbours relying on regional infrastructure to move fuel into Uganda.

Kenya has traditionally served as a key transit route for Uganda’s petroleum imports, with products transported from the Port of Mombasa through Kenya into Uganda.

Museveni’s remarks highlight the economic and strategic considerations that influenced Uganda’s decision to seek a different petroleum import arrangement.

The President did not, in the statement, identify the senator by name or provide further details on the specific concerns raised regarding the middlemen.

Uganda’s move has continued to shape discussions around fuel transportation, petroleum pricing and regional energy trade within the East African Community.